Intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), are larger than 60 gallon drums and smaller than tank trailers, usually holding about 300 gallons of liquid. Conventionally, the IBCs are used to carry inks, naphtha, paints, adhesives, and other commodities in quantities greater than available in 60 gallon drums.
The intermediate bulk containers used to carry such commodities become dirty and must be cleaned after use, particularly if the next liquid is to be different than the previous liquid. In the past the IBCs were cleaned by hand, whereby the worker sprayed and washed down the interior walls of the IBCs by rinsing, scrubbing, brushing, scrapping and wiping the inside surfaces. Depending on the nature of the substance contained within the IBC, this handwashing system can become very time consuming, whereby the time it takes to clean an IBC can may range from less than one hour to one entire day. Problems created by such manual cleaning methods include the time and labor costs utilized in cleaning the containers as well as the cost of the supplies and equipment required for the manual process. Also, in a manual cleaning process it is difficult to control the speed and quality of the work performed by the worker, and the amounts of water and cleaning fluids used in the cleaning process typically are uncontrolled.
Automated cleaning systems have been developed and used for cleaning IBCs. One such automated system includes a support stand that simultaneously supports several IBCs and further includes the pumps, tanks, conduits and other plumbing that are connectable to each IBC for supplying high pressure liquid detergent and other cleaning liquids to each IBC. The cleaning liquids are delivered through the upper man hole opening with sprinkler heads at a high pressure for impact cleaning of the interior walls of the IBCs and the residue is drained from each IBC through a common drain system.
A disadvantage in the known prior art automated cleaning systems is that the IBCs which are to be cleaned must be individually moved to the cleaning site and mounted on or otherwise connected to the cleaning equipment at the cleaning site, and after the cleaning process has been completed, the IBCs must be dismounted or otherwise disconnected from the cleaning equipment and individually moved away from the cleaning site to make room for the next IBCs to be cleaned. This causes a substantial amount of lost cleaning time for the cleaning equipment and requires periods of concentrated work in the vicinity of the cleaning facility by the people that move, connect and disconnect the IBCs with respect to the cleaning equipment.
A further disadvantage of the prior art IBC cleaning procedures and equipment is the requirement of maintaining control of the residue of the material removed from the IBC, of the cleaning detergents and of the other residual liquids which remain after the cleaning process has been completed. The residual liquids usually comprise a pollutant that must be collected and properly disposed of which requires the proper retention tanks, plumbing, etc. for gathering, storing and later discharging the liquids.
Cleaning equipment already exists for large bulk containers of the tank trailer construction which are towed on the highways. When the tank trailers are empty and are to be cleaned, the trailers are towed into a large cleaning bay of a building and hoses are connected between the openings of the tank trailer and the pumps and storage tanks of the cleaning facility. Streams of high pressure detergent and other liquids are sprayed by rotary nozzle systems about the inside surfaces of the tank of the trailer so as to remove the residue of the liquid previously hauled by the vehicle. The residue, including the detergent and the other liquids used in the cleaning process are drained from the tank of the trailer and stored for proper disposal. In some instances the detergents and cleaning liquids can be recycled during the cleaning of the same or of a subsequent trailer tank. Although the trailer tank cleaning systems are available for cleaning the large trailer tanks, there is no known system or equipment which permits efficient and economical use of the trailer tank cleaning systems for cleaning IBCs.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a system for cleaning intermediate bulk containers that thoroughly and swiftly cleans several IBCs at the same time, and which utilizes the existing facilities of a tank trailer cleaning system.